Lecture #36 - Key Terminology for the Mexican-American Civil-Rights Unit

Instructor’s warning: “No one will ever break this down for you like this.”
Correct terminology is essential for:
- Academic precision in essays, exams, and discussion posts
- Respectful interaction with communities being studied
Rule of thumb: there are always exceptions—real identities are fluid, but guidelines matter

U.S. citizens usually claim exclusive ownership of the word
Historical origin in U.S. context
- Popularized during the Spanish-American War \left(\text{late }1800\text{s}\right)
- Theodore Roosevelt credited with mainstreaming the label to signify a rising empire rather than a federation of states
Latin-American perspective
- “American” = ANYONE born in the Western Hemisphere (North & South America)
- By that logic: Mexicans, Canadians, Haitians, Jamaicans, Brazilians, Argentines, etc. are all Americans
Writing tip: Avoid “American” as a default synonym for people from the U.S. in formal work—use alternatives (e.g., “U.S. citizens,” “people from the United States”)

“Meh-si-kin” / “Messican”
- Drops the x or turns it into an s sound
- Perceived as lazy, derogatory, and antiquated
“Mexi-kin(k)” (adding a hard k at the end)
- Also derogatory; roots in Anglo mockery
Clarifications
- Spanish orthography: Spaniards pronounce x as j (e.g., México → “Meh-hee-ko”), but English speakers are NOT required to do so
- If you can say “Texas,” you can pronounce “Mexican” correctly

Definition
- A person of ethnic Mexican descent born in the United States
Chronological boundary: created after WWII (≈ 1945); rarely appropriate for earlier eras
Sociopolitical purpose
- Claimed U.S. citizenship in response to being mislabeled “foreign” or simply “Mexican”
Case studies
- 2016: Jeb Bush called his wife Columba “Mexican American.” Incorrect—she was born in Mexico → she is Mexican.
- Family anecdotes: Instructor’s mother (born in Mexico, raised on border) calls herself Mexican American, illustrating term fluidity
Usage rule: reserve for U.S.–born individuals; avoid as euphemism for immigrants

Etymology
- Contraction of Mexicano: drop “me” → xicano/chicano
- Alternative historical spelling: Xicano
Original (pejorative) meaning
- Used by Mexicans to mock U.S.–born Mexicans who lacked Spanish fluency or deep “Mexican” cultural knowledge
- Synonymous with pocho (still offensive; never rehabilitated)
Political reclamation (late 1960\text{s}–early 1970\text{s})
- Adopted by activists—symbolized Brown Pride & militant nationalism paralleling Black Power’s “Black is Beautiful” campaign
Regional/temporal notes
- Most common in California & Texas; pockets of acceptance (e.g., South Texas, East Austin)
- Strong generational marker—rare before 1960; declining among younger cohorts (“last Chicano” remark by instructor, age 43)
Identity principle: chosen, not assigned; never retroactively apply to pre-1960 historical figures

Classical definition: relates to the Spanish language and Spanish (Iberian) identity
Problems & critiques
- Euro-centric; privileges white European heritage over Indigenous & African roots
- Encourages statements like, “My grandfather was from Spain,” while erasing Indigenous grandmothers
Historical context
- Synonymous with “Spanish American” in 19^{\text{th}}-century U.S.
- Strongest persistence among long-settled Southwest families (Texas, New Mexico)
Exclusions
- Brazilians (speak Portuguese) & Haitians (Haitian Kreyòl/French) are NOT Hispanic
Memory device: “There’s panic in Hispanic” → contentious label

Broad, pan-ethnic umbrella
- Encompasses all peoples of the Americas associated with Latin-based European languages
- Language roots: Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian, Romanian
Inclusivity
- Brings Brazilians (Portuguese-speaking) inside the tent
- Haitian inclusion debated (political tension with Dominican Republic, lack of self-identification)
Historical origin: coined by French Emperor Napoleon III in 1860\text{s} to foster Latin-American solidarity for French imperial interests
Counter-examples (NOT Latino)
- Québécois (French-speaking Canadians) – do not self-identify as Latino nor are perceived as such
- Belize & Jamaica – English-speaking, hence outside the linguistic criterion
Strengths: least politically charged label; safe default when uncertain about someone’s specific background

Latinx
- Replaces Latino/a binary with an x (similar to Malcolm X’s “unknown”)
- Coined in the United States, primarily by academic/activist elites
- Criticisms:
- Violates standard Spanish grammar (Spanish is gendered)
- Little adoption across Latin America; unfamiliar to many community members
Latin (Latine)
- Emerging alternative from Argentina: swap masculine -o / feminine -a with gender-neutral -e
- Mirrors existing gender-neutral Spanish adjectives: interesante, inteligente, grande
Current classroom convention: “Latinx/ e” to acknowledge both forms

Language wields power: labels can affirm identity or perpetuate erasure
Mislabeling—or using terms out of chronological or cultural context—“jars the ear” and weakens scholarly credibility
Academics have duty to:
- De-center U.S. exceptionalism (“American” ≠ exclusive)
- Expose colonial/imperial origins of terms (e.g., Latino via Napoleon III)
- Confront colorism and Indigenous erasure embedded in labels like Hispanic

Next lecture: “the whiteness strategy” (how some Mexican-Americans pursued legal & social whiteness for protection)
Continual theme: how terminology intersects with power, citizenship, and civil-rights mobilization